John 6:51

16 January 2025

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51

In brief, Christ uses two words here: He speaks of “My flesh.” He does not talk like the spirits who flit to and fro, but He chooses the word, “My,” asserting that it is His true flesh and blood which He shows them and holds under their noses to gladden them. He is not talking about the flesh of Adam or John the Baptist or an angel of the Virgin Mary or an animal, but He says “My flesh.” The word “My” is definitive and determines the distinction. He wants to say: “I am placing flesh and blood before you; eat and drink it, that is, believe it. [For here the term ‘to eat’ signifies to believe.] If you touch my flesh, you are not touching simple flesh and blood; you are eating and drinking flesh and blood which makes you divine. It does not make you flesh and blood, but it has the nature and strength of God.”

        Martin Luther